Revolving grate



-(No Model.) 24 Sheets-Sheet 2.v

Ji T. LEE.

RBVOLVING GRATE. No. 549,373. Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

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@We y @M wfwmw ANDREW a GRAHAMAPHOTOMWO WASHINGTUMUC UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS THOMAS LEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REVOLVING GRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,373,Idated November5, 1895.

Application filed February l, 1895. Serial No. 536,998. (No model.)

ition, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same. Y

My invention relates to improvements in grates for furnaces, stoves,ranges, and the like; and it consists in an improved revoluble hollowgrate, which, while acting as a grate, also acts as a fire-pot, in thatit contains the fuel being burned.

The construction and arrangement of the parts of ,this grate will behereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of vmy invention is to produce a grate which, while cheap inconstruction and easily operated, will furnish means for keeping thefire constantly clean and will prevent the accumulation of ashes andcinders at the bottom of the fire without waste of fuel in itsoperation. The prior art furnishes many instances of attempts toconstruct grates which will completely fulfill the Object of theinvention stated, and these attempts make use of many kinds andvarieties of construction. Sometimes the grate-bars are made separatelyrevoluble, and again the sections of the grate have been so adjusted asto be capable of being moved by themselves, and thus the grate shaken.So far as I am aware, however, no grate has proved entirelysatisfactory. The simplicity of construction which the ideal grateshould possess has not as yet been obtained in asatisfactorily-operating grate.

I accomplish the above-mentioned object of invention by the use ofarevoluble hollow grate, into which the coal or other fuel to be burnedis to be placed. The grate thus performs the double office of, a grateand a iirepot. I provide for the free circulation of air through thefire by forming the bottom portion of each half of the grate with anumber of draft-fines, but prevent the circulation of air above thesurface of the fire, and a consequent deadening of the same, by makingthe central portion of each half of the grate solid and withoutapertures. To permit the grate to be supplied with fuel I form the grateof four sections and pivot these parts so that they can be swung outwardin pairs, thus not only providing a convenient manner for allowing coalor other fuel to be placed on the grate, but also affording an easymeans for dumping the iire. The grate is. so mounted asto be easilyrevolved by a hand-wheel on the outside of the stove.

When the fire-pot has been filled withfuel and has burned a sufficientlength of time to cause the accumulation at thevbottom of the fire of a`quantity of cinders and ashes, I renew or clean the iire by simplyturning over the grate. The live or partly-burned coal, being at the topof the fire, will naturally occupy the bottom of the new grate-surface,while the ashes will be sifted out of the grate by `the movement stated,and the cinders, being upon the top of the iire, will be completelyburned. In this manner I am able to continually renew or clean the iireand obtain a complete-combustion of the fuel used without any waste ofthe same.

My invention is fully represented in the drawings which accompany andAform a part of this application, in which the same reference-numeralsrefer to the same or corren sponding parts, and in which- Figure l is asectional view of a furnace, showing my improved grate in position, andalso showing the draft-fines which conduct away the hot air. Eig. 2 is asection of Fig. 1 on the line X X, showing particularly the oval shapeof the stove-body used. Fig. 31s a section of Fig. 1 on the line Y Y,showing the revolving grate in elevation, and in dotted lines twoquarters or sections of the grate thrown open for the reception of fuel.

Referring to the drawings, l represents the body of the furnace orstove. As shown in Eig. 2, this, in the construction used, is oval orelliptical in shape, for reasons which will be hereinafter stated. 2represents the spherical grate, which is supported and held in positionby short shafts 3, projecting from the surface of the same. These shaftsare journaled in the support 4, which extends up.- ward from the bottomof the furnace, and the IOO bracket 5, which projects outward from oneside of the same. One of these shafts extends outside of thefurnace-body and is provided with the hand-wheel As the grate is rigidlyattached to the shafts, it follows that any movement of the hand-wheelresults in a corresponding movement of the grate.

The construction of the grate is most clearly indicated in Fig. 3. Asthere shown, it consists of a central rim or band of metal 7, from whichthe shafts 3 project, and of four sections or quadrants S, each of whichis pivoted to the central band, as shown at f), and is connected withits neighboring quadrant bya removable pin 10, the connection beine suchas to enable the quadrants to be swung outward. The meeting edges ofeach quadrant are formed with saw-teeth, so that where the quadrantsmeet each other or meet the rim or band 7 they present sharp edgesadapted to crush the pieces of coal or other fuel in their path, whichmight otherwise obstruct their normal operation. In order to permit thecirculation of air through the fire I form the outer portion of eachsection with gratebars 11, between which are air-passages 12. Thegrate-bars are close enough together to support the fuel, but aresufficiently far apart to permit the air to have free access to thefire. To prevent any air-currents from sweeping across the top of thefire and deadening the same I form the central portion of each quadrantwith a strip of imperforate metal 13. This strip is wide enough to keepthe air from passing over the top of the fire, and for a definite sizeof a stove or furnace has a delinite size. To further prevent anycurrents of air from reaching the ire, except through the bottom of thesame, I provide a easing 40, which closely surrounds the grate.

Referring now to Fig. 1, in which the direction of air-currents causedby the action of the stove is indicated by arrows, 1-1 represents the`downward draft of the furnace and 15 the upward draft, both of thesedrafts opening into the chimney 16. A damper 17 is provided for theupward draft 15. 1S represents the hot-air space surrounding the innershell of the furnace, and 19 are draftpipes for conducting away such hotair. 20 represents the furnace-door, and 21 the ashpit.

Vhe operation of my improved stove is as follows: Then is is desired toiill the grate with coal or other fuel, the connecting-pin 10 is removedfrom the side of the grate which is uppermost, being drawn out by apoker or hand bar, and the two quadrants 8 are thrown open and restagainst lugs 22, formed on the furnace-body, as shown in Fig. 3. Thecoal may now be put into the grate, the quadrants meanwhile serving toprevent any of the coal which is being put into the grate from escapingover the sides of the same, forming, as it were, a guideway for thecoal. Preferably these quadrants are kept open during the Ordinaryburning of the ire, as they are thereby not exposed to the intense heatto which they would be subjected if they were closed. Thus they are notwarped ormelted by their use. \Vhen the iire has burned long enough tocause the accumulation at the bottom of the grate of a sufficientquantity of ashes and cindcrs to prevent the free passage of air throughthe fire, I close the grate-quadrants and fasten them togetherI byinserting pin 10. The sharp saw-teeth edges of the quadrants serve tocrush any coal which may be in their path and would otherwise preventtheir operation. Inowturn over the grateby means of the hand-wheel G.The coal which was on the top of the fire will naturally be at thebottom and on the new grate surface, and being` either perfectly freshcoal, or only partially burned coal, is in the most favorable conditionfor combustion. The ashes sift out of the grate in consequence of themovement of the same. The cindcrs are upon the top of the fresh fire,where they can best be burned, so that their combustion is not lost, asis the case in the present constructions. This reversal of grate-surfacemaybe made to take place as frequently as desired, and the irc can thusbe kept perfectly fresh and bright. Then it is desired to dump the re,this can be accomplished by taking out the connecting-pin 10 at thelower side of the grate and moving apart the quadrants. The fuel willthen fall into the ash-pit.

In order to permit the quadrants to be freely opened in the manner shownin Fig. 2, it will be seen that it is necessary that the furnacebodyhave a greater diameter in one direction than in the other, and for thisreason the -oval shape shown in Fig. 2 has been chosen.

\Vhile I have illustrated my grate as being spherical, and haveillustrated the casin g therefor as an oval casin g, I do not wish to berestricted to these specific forms, nor to the unessential details ofconstruction shown but Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a furnace body, of a revoluble hollow gratejournaled therein, said grate being composed of a central ring or bandextending on either side of its center sufficiently far to prevent aircurrents from sweeping over the top of the ire, and a series of sectionspivoted to said ring, and adapted to open and swing outward, the saidsections being locked together so as to form two groups, each of whichconstitutes one-half of the grate, and can be separately unlocked andthrown open, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a furnace body, of a revolubly hollow gratejournaled therein, the said grate being composed of a central ring orband extending on either side of its center sufficiently far to preventair currents from sweeping over the top of the ire, four sections orquadrants pivoted to said ring, and adapted to open and swing outward,the said sections being locked together so as to form two groups, eachof which constitute IOO IIO

one-half of the grate, and can be separately unlocked and thrown open,substantially as described.

3. The combination with a suitably formed furnace body, of a revolublehollow grate journaled therein, the said grate being composed of aseries of sections pivoted together and adapted to open and swingoutward, the meeting edges of said sections being toothed, substantiallyas described.

4. The combination with a suitably formed furnace body, of a revolublehollow grate journaled therein, the said grate being composed of aseries of sections pivoted together and adapted to open and swingoutward, each of said sections being formed with a solid portion towardthe center of the grate, and a grated portion toward the ends of thegrate, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a suitably formed furnace body, of a revolublehollow grate journaled therein, means for revolving the same, and theupright circular casing 40, surrounding said grate, and preventing aircurrents from reaching any portion of the fire except the bottom of thesame, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J. THOMAS LEE.

Vitnesses:

KITTIE V. STANFORD, EUGENE H. MOORE.

